Air-taxi manufacturer tops recruiting list for PTI officials

Piedmont Triad International Airport wants to add another innovative aircraft manufacturer to its portfolio, airport authority officials said last week.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners received on June 1 an economic-development update from airport executive director Kevin Baker and authority chairman Graham Bennett.

In a June 2025 interview with the Journal and News & Record following JetZero's $4.7 billion, 14,560-job announcement, Baker said next on the authority's recruitment agenda is a manufacturer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

On Monday, Baker told commissioners the airport is "actively pursuing a number of these companies because we want to get in on the ground, like being in Detroit in the early 1900s for the automobile industry."

Bennett added the airport is "very prepared for the future of aviation and the job creations to come" from landing an eVTOL manufacturer.

The aircraft can take off and land much like a helicopter and flies through electric propulsion and vertical lift. The typical eVTOL would carry a pilot and four passengers, although there are some manufacturers developing a pilotless version.

Among the initial marketing pitches is that of an air taxi covering last-mile distances, with a potential flying distance of 200 miles.

Baker has joked that the aircraft operates not all that differently than what George Jetson flew on the 1960s ABC prime-time futuristic cartoon show still showing in re-runs on cable and streaming networks.

Another plus to landing an eVTOL manufacturer, Baker said, "is that they don't need a huge factory to make them, perhaps as little as 30 acres."

Baker said that by the late 2040s, "these eVTOLs will proliferate all over the place."

Potential eTVOL recruits

According to aviation trade publication Builtin.com, there are six prominent eVTOL manufacturers: Archer Aviation (San Jose, Calif.); Beta Technologies (South Burlington, Vt.; General Motors (Detroit); Eve Air Mobility (Melbourne, Fla.); Joby Aviation (Santa Cruz, Calif.); and Vertical Aerospace (Bristol, England).

In March, Beta and Joby were chosen to participate in the White House-backed Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program.

Both manufacturers are developing and evaluating their aircraft in projects in North Carolina, as well as Arizona, Florida, Idaho, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Utah.

Joby's N.C. initiative involves the state Transportation Department in establishing piloted medical and regional operations across the state, while also developing an autonomous flight operation extending into Virginia.

Meanwhile, Beta's N.C. initiative features conducting missions to improve access to healthcare and disaster response logistics with UPS and Metro Aviation.

The program paves the way for both manufacturers to bring its technology directly to U.S. communities ahead of Federal Aviation Administration-type certification.

"It is expected to accelerate regulatory coordination by bringing the FAA and U.S. Transportation Department together with local authorities to streamline approvals for airspace integration and the development of relevant infrastructure - advancing the safe integration of this new technology into the national airspace," according to a White House news release.

Baker said Monday that "I really think we need to have one of the key ones here because they are like 200-some of them, of which 20 are viable, 10 will survive, and half of those will be gobbled up by larger companies."

Bridge to success

Baker told commissioners he continues to credit the 2018 debut of a 280-foot bridge on the airport campus with making PTI competitive to land an eVTOL manufacturer.

The $20 million bridge connects the airport's western runway to those acres.

The bridge gave the airport authority, and local and state economic officials, a tantalizing recruitment marketing pitch - direct access to a taxiway and runway, along with 650 of the more than 1,000 acres of undeveloped land on the campus.

Boom Supersonic's "Superfactory" has been built on that land awaiting the start of production of its Overture aircraft, while JetZero has set a June 15 ground-breaking event for its $4.7 billion manufacturing plant and headquarters.

Without the foresight and forward thinking to construct the bridge, Baker has said a successful recruitment of Boom and JetZero - with a combined promise of about 17,000 jobs - would not have been possible.

Bennett said another reason why the airport was providing an update to commissioners was the emphasize the need for the board's financial assistance to Forsyth Technical Community College to help train future Boom and JetZero employees.

"I mentioned challenges with the employment needs, trained employees, is going to be mighty big," Bennett said.

"That's our biggest challenge as a community, to make sure that we have the right employees."

Concourse renovation update

Baker said that "about 80% of my days are spent on aerospace economic development. In the last 15 years, we have grown from 3,000 employees on this campus to more than 9,800 currently."

At 9,800, the combined airport workforce is the fifth-largest employer in the Triad. Baker said that based on a ZIP code review of the employees, about 20% of the workforce commutes in from Forsyth.

However, Baker said providing commercial airline passenger service remains a key community offering.

Which is why Baker said the airport is about to undergo a major concourse renovation project to areas that haven't been updated since the early 1980s. The overall renovation could take until 2029 to complete.

"They are tired and need to be redone," Baker said.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently awarded the authority with a $5 million grant for terminal infrastructure improvements.

According to the FAA, the funds are to be dedicated toward renovation costs of the south concourse, "which includes hold room modernization and air handler units to increase energy efficiency and enhance the family travel experience."

Baker said the airport is preparing to close the south concourse once preparations have been made for the north concourse to handle the traffic flow from both concourses.

The renovations will start in August and provide larger restroom and concession areas.

"It will provide a much better experience for our passengers and a better first impression for those coming into our community," Baker said.

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